New member, Building FIRST house

Hello to the group. I am a new member. My wife and I are about to build a house (this spring/summer)(for the first time) and are plenty excited and scared at the same time. We are building on a large steep lot. (Steep)...did I mention Steep?... we are talking to some contractors right now about having a driveway done to bring the actual building site down lower on the lot, by the ocean. There's 3 acres, so theres lots of flatter spots, (if we dodge creeks) but the driveway will be a heck of a challenge, and I imagine it'll be a monster to maintain during winter. The property is in Nova Scotia Canada, very near North-Eastern Maine.(So similar weather issues) We are susceptible to 100km hr winds at times, and partly for that reason, we are hoping to build an ICF (concrete) house. We are planning a 2 storey home, basic box, with a standard gable roof. 1350 sq feet per floor. The garage will be seperate and free standing. So, I'm just wondering about others experiences of building on a steep lot, issues with salt water, issues with creeks running through the property. What the best practices are for ensuring the basement remains watertight. And generally anything you can think of that might help make this first ever house we build, a less scary proposition. :) Thanks in advance for any thought you give this.Have a great week.